Chapter 85 - Volume 5 (1/2)

Volume 5, Chapter 14: What I Wanted to Say, Part 3

“It seems that nowadays, elementary schoolers also have stuff like this.”

“……society nowadays is dangerous?”

I was struck with an idea, and tried to do something I hadn’t with the battery-powered cellphone inside of my pocket.

Even if the battery was running out, it would still startup for a few seconds. I tried to touch the screen while it was in my pocket, and if I was lucky it would redial someone.

However, my unnatural movements were discovered, and my mobile phone was taken.

“Fumu…… The battery seems to be out. Oi.”

One of the black-suited men handed my cellphone to that man I met in the shopping district.

“After charging it and checking the contents, leave it at the riverside there. It’s likely that they’ll track the GPS function. Also, watch out for fingerprints.”

“Understood.”

“You, what are you doing……?”

As I asked him with a somewhat unpleasant premonition, he had a thin smile on his face and bowed as if he was facing a noble.

“Please, call me Kyoji. Oh yeah, you were carrying that phone. But it’s so common for children to go missing in the river”

So said Kyoji as he cut himself off in the middle of his explanation.

Was it because it was troublesome? Did he think that children wouldn’t understand? Maybe it was both.

But surely it was something like this.

If they mistook that I had drowned in the river, the police would take their time to search it. But since I wasn’t going to be in the river, the investigation would be derailed.

And finally, he was going to make me a “drowned body”.

…… again.

From the depths of my heart, “something” like a fragment of a memory emerged. It gradually connected the dots little by little and filled with color.

There was something like this before……? I was kidnapped…… what did I do? I remember little boys and girls…… eh?

As it was, I was taken onto their car and taken somewhere.

By the feel of it, it was about an hour. I thought that we were going quite fast because we got on a highway along the way, but we got off and on several times, and ended up in a narrow street as if we were waiting for someone.

As I glimpsed behind me, the fake taxi driver who was sitting in the rear passenger’s seat stared at me with eyes filled with hatred, and I waved at him lightly while smiling.

“You’re rather composed.”

Kyoji looked at me with eyes of amazement.

“Is it uncute?”

“You’re definitely composed……”

While that was happening, we entered a region with many trees, and reached a building.

“……A school?”

“Yes, that’s right. It was a school that went out of business five years ago due to the decrease in enrolment. They had thought that the countermeasures against the declining birthrate would be effective and the number of children would increase, but the results are as you see.”

“Even though countermeasures and subsidies are alright… with no hope for the future, the number of children won’t increase, you know?”

“…… are you really an elementary schooler?”

I was taken out of the car and was having a conversation while we walked, but Kyoji stopped for a moment and stared at my face.

“Yes, I’m a second-grader in elementary school. In other words, I have nothing to do at all with that shopping district.”

It was meaningless to keep it hidden now that we were here. I didn’t mean to capitalize on it anyway.

“As expected, you are smart, Yuzu-san”

Kyoji called my name despite me not having introduced myself.

“When did you notice that we were aiming for the shopping district?”

“That aside…… I also thought that it would be good to show my hand. But…… are you ok with me?”

“At first I thought that you were the child from that shop…… but it was good either way. Because Yuzu-san is famous in the shopping district.”

“……Life sure is full of parts where things don’t go one’s way.”

“Truly, you are unlike any child. If you were an adult, I might well fall in love with you. It is a pity that I will not see you again.”